Toxicology report months away for Plymouth custodian who died in school

Friday

Aug 8, 2014 at 12:35 AMAug 8, 2014 at 12:39 AM

Neal Simpson The Patriot Ledger @nsimpson_ledger

PLYMOUTH – With less than three weeks until the first day of school, officials say it will be months before they know what killed a Manomet school custodian and sickened emergency personnel who rushed to the building.

Chester Flattery, a 53-year-old head custodian at the school, was killed and 13 others were treated after being exposed to some kind of hazardous material in the school July 7. State inspectors declared the building safe by the end of the day, but officials have not yet determined what chemical caused Flattery’s death.

Bridget Norton Middleton, a spokeswoman for the Plymouth County district attorney, said Thursday that it could be several months before a toxicology report determines what killed Flattery. She said the report would also help investigators determine what sickened the emergency personnel, who reported headaches and nausea after spending time in the school.

Flattery, a husband and father of two who was known as “Chet,” was found unconscious on a hallway floor early July 7 and was later pronounced dead. The school secretary who found him and a dozen emergency personnel were taken to the hospital to be treated for exposure to hazardous material.

The secretary and the first responders all reported smelling a chemical odor, but officials have said that tests showed only low levels of contaminants.

Dennis Begley, chairman of the Plymouth School Committee, said the school sent letters to parents assuring them that state inspectors had determined the building was safe. He said he hadn’t heard any concerns from parents about children returning to the classroom later this month.

Contact Neal Simpson at nesimpson@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @NSimpson_Ledger.